Perryton learned important lesson from loss

Through halftime of the Rangers' game at Childress, Perryton had played and practiced with only as much intensity and enthusiasm as necessary.

That lapse in dedication paid dividends against Childress when Michael Brisco took the first handoff of the second half and sprinted 70 yards virtually untouched through the Ranger defense to a touchdown that opened the floodgates to a 40-7 route.

"We hadn't been practicing with much intensity and we were pretty much going through the motions a lot of the time," Rangers' linebacker Tyler Merkel said. "But after that game, we had a meeting and we told each other that we were going to have to be a lot more focused and a lot more intense in practice. That game kind of woke us up. We can't go through the motions like that and expect to win."

The Rangers' new attitude paid dividends last weekend when Perryton blasted favored Lamesa, 44-13. In two playoff games, Perryton has outscored opponents 93-20. Now the Rangers (10-2) will take on Vernon (10-2) in the Class 3A state quarterfinals at 7:30 on Friday night in Dick Bivins Stadium. This is the first time Perryton has been to the state quarterfinals since 1993.

"Childress had a good team, but we just didn't show up," Ranger safety Cody Merrell said. "We decided we needed to have more enthusiasm and we needed to have more fun in games. It's fun to be here in the playoffs. Nobody knows who we are and nobody thought we'd make it this far, but we're here."

The playoffs have not been kind to the Rangers in recent years, especially at Dick Bivins Stadium. In a 1998 area playoff, Perryton suffered through a dreadful second half and lost to Monahans, 20-10. In a 1999 bi-district game, Muleshoe ran roughshod over the Rangers to the tune of 50-7. The 2000 season ended ugly for the Rangers in bi-district when Littlefield pounded Perryton 41-9. All three of those playoff losses took place at Dick Bivins Stadium.

However, this year the Rangers have reversed field in Bivins with two blowout victories.

"We were trying to stop the curse of Dick Bivins," Merkel said. "We haven't had much good luck there the past few years so we wanted to make sure we changed that. We're a lot more together as a team this year. We really like each other and we hang out with each other. In past years, it's not always been like that. But we're more of a team now."

Perryton entered the 2001 season as the head-and-shoulders favorite in District 1-3A. The Rangers returned all their skill position players plus three linemen. Many people expected some big things from the Rangers this season, however playoff success was chancy given their past shortfalls.

But the Rangers have delivered. They are probably the most under-appreciated team in the 3A Division I quarterfinals. Perryton was never ranked this season despite some impressive wins. In pre-district the Rangers knocked off Spearman, 10-7. Spearman is now in the Class 2A Division II regional playoffs and has been among the top 10 teams in the state in that classification. The Rangers dumped a highly-regarded Sanford-Fritch team to take first place in 1-3A. However, losses to Crane (21-19) and Childress took a little of the shine off.

But all that has changed now. The Rangers' upset of Lamesa has opened plenty of eyes. Perryton not only beat the Golden Tornadoes, but they blew them right off the field.

"We keep hearing that was an upset, but it wasn't," Merkel said. "We're still trying to get respect from people. Nobody but us thought we'd win that game and we won it. It was a great feeling. We thought we'd win the game, but even I didn't expect us to win it the way we did."

Perryton's unsung key to success this season has been its defense. Perryton has allowed 20 points in two playoff games and all those points came late when the Rangers had already blown out to an insurmountable lead.

Lamesa had an impressive offense with a powerful running game, but Perryton completely corralled it. Rangers flew all over the field delivering crushing hits. Lamesa finished the game with 198 rushing yards, but most of that total came in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided. Lamesa trailed by 37 points before its scored its first touchdown on the last play of the third period.

"We like to come out and hit them early right in the mouth," Merrell said. "We want to hit them in the mouth from whistle to whistle. We just play crazy. We want to run to the ball and just hit them early so they know we're there to play."

With two playoff wins under their belt, the Rangers are hungry for more. They survived the first-round jitters, routed a high-profile program that made the state semifinals last year and are eager to take on another perennial powerhouse.

"I knew what kind of football team we had and the kids realized what you had to do to make it work," Perryton coach Gary Newcomb said. "With the kind of talent we had, it would have been a shame to lose early. But when you're winning, your wife's looks prettier and you don't kick the dog and everybody stops to talk to you in the store. It's a lot better that when you're not winning."

Roger Clarkson, sports writer of the Globe-News, can be reached at (806) 345-3315 or at rclarkson@amarillonet.com